New video board expected to debut today as UTSA hosts South Florida

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

UTSA is expected to play baseball today under a new video board at Roadrunner Field.

First pitch in the opener of a three-game series between the Roadrunners and the South Florida Bulls will be at 2 p.m.

The video board, a 24-by-42-foot display, replaces the old scoreboard and is expected to enhance the fan experience.

Not only will it function as a full digital scoreboard, it also will have capability to show live video, sponsor recognition and fan engagement.

Meanwhile, the Roadrunners and the Bulls will provide the on-field entertainment in a matchup of programs sitting in the upper tier of the American Conference standings.

Records

South Florida 24-8, 5-4
UTSA 23-10, 6-3

Coming up

South Florida at UTSA, today, 2 p.m.
South Florida at UTSA, Saturday, 2 p.m.
South Florida at UTSA, 1 p.m.

Notable

The UAB Blazers lead the American with a record of 22-11 and 7-2. As for the Roadrunners, they’re tied with East Carolina, a game behind in the standings at 6-3.

UTSA has played good defense recently, playing error-free baseball for five straight games, including two wins to close out a road series at Rice last weekend and a 6-2 victory Tuesday at Tarleton State.

“I think defense is really the key,” UTSA pitcher Conor Myles said. “We’re always going to hit. We’re always going to put up good at bats.

“But when our defense is good and when our pitchers are throwing pitches over the plate, we’re a pretty tough team to beat.”

Pitching rotations

Righthander Gunnar Brown is expected to start for the Roadrunners today against lefty Edwin Alicea.

On Saturday, it’ll be Myles against South Florida freshman phenomenon Michael Senay.

Starters for Sunday’s finale haven’t been announced.

First-inning power surge lifts UTSA over Tarleton State

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Drew Detlefsen and Andrew Stucky slammed two-run homers in a four-run first inning, powering the UTSA Roadrunners to a 6-2 victory Tuesday in Stephenville against the Tarleton State Texans.

Six UTSA pitchers limited the Texans to six hits as the Roadrunners (23-10) snapped out of a 2-4 funk this season in mid-week road games.

The Texans (21-11) had scored victories over Baylor twice and against Texas and entered the game at No. 68 in the nation on the ratings percentage index.

But the Roadrunners, ranked 40th, controlled the action from the beginning.

With Tarleton lefthander Ashton Bassett on the mound, Caden Miller led off the first, slamming a double off the right field wall.

Detlefsen followed with his team-leading 12th home run of the season, yanking a ball and sending it on a line over the left field wall.

UTSA didn’t stop there, as Garrett Gruell punched a single to right, bringing Stucky to the plate.

The UTSA catcher promptly out-did Detlefsen, hitting it on a high arc over the wall and over a screen.

In the second inning, facing righthander Matthew McCullough, Miller and Detlefsen struck again.

With one out, Miller lined a ball over the center fielder’s head and off the wall. As the ball caromed off the fence, he rounded second and ultimately slid into third with a triple.

Detlefsen followed with a deep fly ball to right, a sacrifice fly, that brought Miller home for a 5-0 lead.

UTSA kept applying pressure in the third inning against Jack Lovin, who put the first two batters aboard with a hit by pitch and a walk.

Lane Haworth continued to put the heat on Lovin with a single to right that loaded the bases.

On a Cade Sadler ground ball to the infield, the Texans got an out on a force play at second base, but Sadler beat the relay to first that brought in another run.

James Hubbard, Mike DeBattista, Ryan Self, Christopher Gutierrez, Connor Kelley and Sam Simmons pitched for the Roadrunners, with Hubbard (1-1) earning his first victory.

He worked the first two innings scoreless, allowing only one hit, walking none and striking out one.

The six UTSA pitchers struck out three and walked one. Continuing a trend, the Roadrunners’ defense played error free for the fourth straight game.

Bassett (1-2) took the loss after giving up four runs on five hits in the first inning. Last Tuesday, he was the winning pitcher in Tarleton’s 5-1 victory at Baylor.

Records

UTSA 23-10
Tarleton State 21-11

Coming up

South Florida at UTSA, Friday, 6 p.m.
South Florida at UTSA, Saturday, 2 p.m.
South Florida at UTSA, Sunday, 1 p.m.

Notable

UTSA’s mid-week road frustrations hit a low point last Tuesday afternoon at Incarnate Word. The Roadrunners blew a four-run lead and dropped a 13-11 decision on a three-run walk off homer in the ninth.

The Roadrunners have also lost on the road in the mid week to Texas State, Texas Tech and Houston Christian.

Detlefsen leads the Roadrunners in home runs with 12. With three runs driven in, he also boosted his team-leading RBI total to 42. Stucky has hit nine homers on the season.

Miller is on a tear over the last four games, stroking 10 hits in 18 at bats. The sophomore from Madisonville has ripped three doubles and a triple over his last three games.

Two top pitchers available for UTSA today at Tarleton State

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Coach Pat Hallmark says that Sam Simmons and Connor Kelley are in the discussion to pitch today for the UTSA Roadrunners in Stephenville against the 21-win Tarleton State Texans.

First pitch in Stephenville is scheduled for 4 p.m.

The matchup against the Texans could pose problems for the Roadrunners (22-10) as they play on the road against a dangerous non-conference opponent in a game sandwiched between series in the American last week at Rice and this weekend at home against South Florida.

The Texans (21-10) of the Western Athletic Conference have recorded victories this season against Baylor (twice, home and away) and against the second-ranked Texas Longhorns in Austin.

For the Roadrunners, a willingness to utilize both front-line pitchers is a sign of respect for the Texans and also an indication of dissatisfaction with their own 2-4 record thus far in mid-week road games.

“I haven’t named a starter yet,” Hallmark said Monday in a zoom conference with the media. “You know, Sam and Kelley are both available, so you could see those guys.

“I don’t know about two Tuesdays ago, but last Tuesday (at Incarnate Word) they weren’t available. They had pitched (the previous) Sunday. So, hopefully we can get them the ball a little bit.”

While UTSA is listed at No. 40 nationally on the latest ratings percentage index, Tarleton isn’t far behind at 68th.

“Twenty one wins and they beat Baylor twice,” Hallmark said. “Beat some other good teams, and we’re going up there. Like everybody, they’re always tougher at their own ballpark.”

Records

UTSA 22-10
Tarleton State 21-10

Coming up

Non-conference
UTSA at Tarleton State, today, 4 p.m.

American Conference
South Florida at UTSA, Friday, 6 p.m.
South Florida at UTSA, Saturday, 2 p.m.
South Florida at UTSA, Sunday, 1 p.m.

UTSA bounces back against Rice to claim its 14th straight series victory in the American

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The UTSA Roadrunners didn’t flinch after they dropped back-to-back games in walk-off fashion earlier this week.

Caden Miller.

Caden Miller had a big day on Saturday in Houston with three hits and five RBIs. – File photo by Joe Alexander

Seemingly, they just reverted to the basics of the game, the fundamentals that have under-girded their rise as one of the best mid-major programs in the nation.

The Roadrunners rolled past the Rice Owls 13-0 Saturday afternoon in Houston to claim a second straight win via shutout and their 14th straight series victory in American Conference play.

Officials called it after seven innings on the run rule.

After losing 13-11 at Incarnate Word on Tuesday afternoon and 3-2 in 10 innings to open the road series at Rice on Thursday night, UTSA rebounded with two wins in two days in dominating fashion.

First, they followed the lead of starting pitcher Conor Myles to an 8-0 victory on Friday.

Next, they surged in the series finale with another strong pitching performance, this one backed by a 14-hit attack.

Leading 2-0 after four innings, the Roadrunners erupted for five runs in the fifth and four more in the sixth to quiet an Easter weekend crowd at Reckling Park.

Home runs by UTSA’s Christian Hallmark and Drew Detlefsen highlighted a fifth-inning uprising that included some sloppy play by the home team.

An error, two walks and two wild pitches by the Owls allowed the Roadrunners to break away. Detlefsen’s 11th homer of the season capped the outburst and made it 7-0.

Caden Miller added two-run singles in the sixth and the seventh innings for the Roadrunners.

For the game, the left-side, swinging sophomore from Madisonville had three hits and five RBIs.

Detlefsen and Hallmark also had three-hit performances. It was only the second three-hit day of the season for Hallmark, a sophomore transfer out of Navarro College.

In Detlefsen’s case, he also produced three RBI, giving him a team-leading 39 in 31 games.

Freshman pitcher Christopher Gutierrez (1-0) earned the first victory of his college career after a season-high two and a third innings of relief.

Christian Okerholm started the game, followed by Gutierrez and Kendall Dove. Combined, the threesome held the Owls to only two hits, while walking four and striking out three.

Gutierrez is a lefty from Houston-area Spring and Ridgeland High School, who has been used mostly in a situational role to this point.

Entering the game with no outs and a runner on first base in the third, he pitched well into the fifth, allowing no runs on two hits and two walks, while striking out two.

Rice freshman Ty Thames (2-2) took the loss.

The big righthander from Wimberley worked three and a third innings. He allowed seven runs on five hits, though four of the runs were unearned.

Records

UTSA 22-10, 6-3
Rice 19-14, 4-5

Coming up

UTSA at Tarleton State, Tuesday, 4 p.m.
South Florida at UTSA, Friday, 6 p.m.
South Florida at UTSA, Saturday, April 11, 2 p.m.
South Florida at UTSA, Sunday, April 12, 1 p.m.

Notable

UTSA recorded back-to-back shutout victories for the first time since it blanked Long Island, 13-0 and 15-0, both at home and in seven innings, on Feb. 22 and 23 in 2025.

The Roadrunners’ defense played error-free baseball for 26 straight innings at Rice, including 10 on Thursday, nine on Friday and seven on Saturday.

Miller and Detlefsen also had big weekends. Miller had eight hits in 13 at bats in the three games, pushing his batting average to .396 for the season.

Detlefsen’s average spiked to a team-leading .409 after he went six for 14.

UTSA freshman Aidan Eshelman started all three games at shortstop in the Rice series.

Blessed with a strong arm, he played solid defense this weekend and contributed offensively in the finale, scoring four runs.

UTSA’s first-year player from Houston Episcopal High School went two for three and drove in one in Game 3.

Myles and Detlefsen combine to lead UTSA past Rice, 8-0

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Lefthander Conor Myles pitched scoreless baseball into the seventh inning, and Drew Detlefsen drove in three runs with three hits, as the UTSA Roadrunners scored an 8-0 victory over the Rice Owls Friday night in Houston.

With the decision, the Roadrunners set themselves up to win their 14th straight series in American Conference play if they can score another victory in the finale, scheduled for noon on Saturday.

UTSA entered the day on a two-game losing streak, having lost on walk-offs against both the University of the Incarnate Word Tuesday night in San Antonio and to Rice in the series opener Thursday.

After falling to the Owls 3-2 in 10 innings on a bases-loaded walk a night earlier, the Roadrunners handed the ball to Myles, who pitched a gem.

The 6-foot-4 southpaw from Australia kept Rice off balance all night, working six and a third innings, allowing no runs and permitting only two hits.

Much of the time, Myles had the Owls hitting either soft fly balls or pop ups.

Myles, who earned the victory and improved to 4-1, combined with relievers Christopher Gutierrez and Connor Kelley for the second shutout of the season for Roadrunners pitching.

Kelley finished the game with six strikeouts in two innings.

Earlier, Rice stayed in the game behind starter Ethan Sanders. After allowing an unearned run in the second, the freshman righthander held UTSA scoreless for four straight innings.

Detlefsen produced a run-scoring single in a three-run seventh and a two-run single in a three-run eighth as the Roadrunners broke the game open.

Records

UTSA 21-10, 5-3
Rice 19-13, 4-4

Coming up

UTSA at Rice, Saturday, noon

Notable

The Roadrunners’ only other shutout victory this season came on March 7 in Las Cruces, N.M. when they downed the New Mexico State Aggies, 13-0.

In that game, Myles pitched five and a third innings in a contest that was stopped after seven innings on the run rule.

Rice tops UTSA 3-2 in 10 innings on a bases-loaded walk

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Paul Smith drew a bases-loaded walk with two out in the 10th inning to force in the winning run, and the Rice Owls claimed a 3-2 victory over the UTSA Roadrunners Thursday night in American Conference baseball at Reckling Park.

With UTSA ace reliever Sam Simmons on the mound, Rice’s Landis Davila executed a one-out bunt single. Cole Green followed by fisting a ball off his bat handle that squibbed through the right side.

On the play, Davila advanced all the way to third. After Green advanced to second on defensive indifference, UTSA elected to walk Colin Robson intentionally to load the bases.

UTSA made a play at that point to cut off a run and get the second out of the inning. On a ground ball to second base, the throw came home to force a base runner at the plate.

After an umpire’s review, apparently to determine whether UTSA catcher Andrew Stucky had control of the ball, the call was allowed to stand.

Smith subsequently worked the count to 3-1 and then took a called second strike from Simmons. The next pitch was outside, allowing Green to score the winning run.

UTSA has played three straight games in which the outcome has been decided in walk-off fashion on the last play.

The Roadrunners split the first two, beating the East Carolina Pirates 8-7 in 10 innings Sunday at home on Caden Miller’s RBI single, and then losing Tuesday on the road to the UIW Cardinals, 13-11, on a three-run homer by Cole Tabor.

In the first game of a series at Rice’s Reckling Park, the pitching on both sides was top notch for most of the evening.

Rice starter and Tennessee transfer Tanner Wiggins worked seven innings and scattered 10 hits, allowing two runs, only one of them earned.

Another former Tennessee pitcher, Brayden Sharp, earned the win in hurling the last three innings scoreless, allowing only one hit.

The Rice duo was particularly tough with runners on base, limiting UTSA to 3-for-19 in those situations. The Roadrunners were 1-for-9 with runners in scoring positions.

UTSA, in the end, left nine runners stranded.

A painful sequence for the Roadrunners unfolded in the top of the 10th when Jacob Silva drew a two-out walk.

After he stole second base, the throw from the catcher got away, but Rice second baseman JC Davis retrieved it and made a heads-up play. He fired to third to end the inning, erasing Silva, who was trying to advance.

For UTSA, freshman pitcher Ryan Self allowed a run in the first inning and then yielded to Gunnar Brown, who worked the next six frames.

Brown, retiring 10 in a row at one point, permitted only a run on four hits through the seventh inning.

Simmons took the loss in two and two thirds of an inning. He yielded one run on two hits, with two walks and a strikeout.

Records

UTSA 20-10, 4-3
Rice 19-12, 4-3

Coming up

UTSA at Rice, Friday, 6:35 p.m.
UTSA at Rice, Saturday, 1:05 p.m.

Notable

UTSA cleanup hitter Andrew Stucky had four hits, including a second-inning solo homer. It was his eighth homer of the season and his second in his last two games.

Roadrunners left fielder Drew Detlefsen threw out a Rice baserunner trying to score from second in the second inning, his second assist on a throw from the outfield in the last two weeks.

He fielded a ball on the bounce, reached back and fired home to Stucky, the catcher, for the out.

Detlefsen did the same thing on March 24 at home against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, with Jacob Silva receiving the throw.

Rice beat UTSA for the first time since April of 2024 and broke a five-game losing streak against the Roadrunners. UTSA went 4-0 against Rice last season.

For the second straight week, UTSA has lost a weekend series opener in the American.

Last Friday, the East Carolina Pirates won 3-0 at UTSA, only to see the Roadrunners bounce back to take the next two to clinch their 13th straight series victory in conference play.

UTSA hits the road to play three in the American at Rice

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Riding an emotional roller coaster this week, UTSA Roadrunners will take on the Rice Owls in a three-game American Conference baseball series starting Thursday at Reckling Park in Houston.

In facing the Owls (18-12, 3-3), Head Coach Pat Hallmark’s Roadrunners (20-9, 4-2) are coming off some highs and lows over last four days.

On Sunday, they clinched their 13th straight conference series victory in the American with an 8-7, 10-inning win at home over the East Carolina Pirates.

Caden Miller delivered the winning hit on a walk-off with a single through the right side.

On Tuesday, they built a lead that reached four runs in both the fifth and sixth innings at Incarnate Word, only to lose the non-conference encounter with their cross-town rivals, 13-11, on a walk-off home run in the ninth.

The Roadrunners will have no time to lament the loss of a game they were expected to win, because they’ll need to focus their full attention on the Owls, who have won three in a row and nine of their last 14.

Colin Robson is one of the hottest hitters for Rice coach David Pierce. He had two hits in a home victory over the UTRGV Vaqueros on Tuesday, and in his last four games, he has eight hits and eight RBIs.

Another player swinging the bat well is Garet Boehm, who connected on a three-run home run in a 5-2 victory over the FAU Owls on Saturday. In an 8-1 victory on Sunday, Boehm followed on Sunday with a grand slam.

As a result, Rice bounced back from a 6-2 loss to win the series. The Owls defeated the visiting UTRGV Vaqueros 6-4 on Tuesday.

The Owls played through a year of transition in 2025, as the program fired head coach Jose Cruz, Jr. after the first month and then hired Pierce, a former head coach at the University of Texas.

Pierce is 525-306 in his 15th season as a head coach. Previously, both Pierce and Hallmark worked together on the Rice coaching staff under Wayne Graham.

Hallmark is 226-153 in his ninth year as a head coach, including 160-105 in his seventh season at UTSA.

Records

Rice 18-12, 3-3
UTSA 20-9, 4-2

Coming up

UTSA at Rice, Thursday, 6:35 p.m.
UTSA at Rice, Friday, 6:35 p.m.
UTSA at Rice, Saturday, 1:05 p.m.

Notable

Rice leads the all-time series against UTSA, 30-25. But the Roadrunners have turned it around lately on their I-10 rival, winning the last five games and nine of the last 11.

UTSA was 4-0 against Rice in 2025. The Roadrunners swept the Owls in three games at San Antonio to close the regular-season and then won once in the conference tournament at Clearwater, Fla.

Cole Tabor’s walk-off homer lifts UIW over UTSA, 13-11

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

San Antonio’s Cole Tabor launched a game-winning, two-out, three-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning Tuesday afternoon to lift the University of the Incarnate Word Cardinals to a 13-11 victory over the UTSA Roadrunners.

In a dramatic finish to a non-conference game between San Antonio’s two NCAA Division I programs, UIW (15-14) trailed 11-9 going into its last at bat against UTSA (20-9) when Drake Anderson led off with a walk against Roadrunners reliever Mike DeBattista.

Anderson moved up to second on a ground ball by Thomas Lyssy for the first out of the inning.

After Enrico Carrion struck out, Trent Rucker singled into right field, allowing Anderson to score and cut the lead to one run.

Preston Newberry followed with a single to center, putting runners at first and second and bringing Tabor to the plate.

The left-side swinging Tabor responded by hitting a 2-1 pitch from Battista far over the right field wall to end the game.

It was the third homer of the day for the Cardinals and the team-leading ninth of the season for Tabor.

The finish was reminiscent of a 2023 UTSA at UIW game when former Cardinals slugger Rey Mendoza walked it off with a towering three-run homer to beat the Roadrunners.

Tabor came out of Reagan High School and played two years at Temple Junior College before transferring to Texas State, where he played in the 2025 season.

Records

UTSA 20-9
UIW 15-14

Coming up

UTSA at Rice, Thursday, 6:30 p.m.
Southeastern Louisiana at UIW, Thursday, 2 p.m.

Notable

The Roadrunners, who open a three-game American Conference series at Rice on Thursday night, held leads of 9-5 after the top of the fifth inning and 11-7 after the top of the sixth and couldn’t hang on.

The Cardinals, who will host Southeastern Louisiana on Thursday in the Southland Conference, scored one run in the seventh and eighth innings and four in the ninth to win.

UIW senior righthander Colin Huspen (1-0) gave up one hit in a scoreless top of the ninth to earn the victory. Huspen was the 10th pitcher used by first-year Cardinals coach Nick Zaleski.

UTSA head coach Pat Hallmark, who coached at UIW in 2018 and 2019, used nine pitchers. DeBattista (2-2) took the loss after yielding five runs on five hits in two innings.

Rucker, the brother of UTSA softball player Skylar Rucker, had a big day for the Cardinals. He hit a two-run home run in the third inning and added two outstanding plays in center field.

One came on a diving catch of a drive off the bat of UTSA’s Cade Sadler for the third out in the seventh inning.

In the ninth, UTSA’s Jordan Ballin tried to go from first to third on a single up the middle but was thrown out on Rucker’s one-hop throw to end the inning.

Tony DeJesus also homered for the Cardinals, hitting a two-run shot to left in the fifth.

For UTSA, Lane Haworth went three for five and scored twice, including once on a solo homer in the top of the sixth. He finished with one RBI.

Andrew Stucky also homered for UTSA. His two-run blast to left in the second lifted the Roadrunners into a 3-0 lead. Sadler and Jacob Silva also had two hits.

Incarnate Word beat UTSA for the second straight time and improved to 3-3 against its cross-town rival since the 2023 season.

In 2023, the Roadrunners downed the Cardinals 2-1 at UTSA but dropped the second meeting of the season, losing 9-6 on Mendoza’s walk-off homer at UIW.

In 2024, the Roadrunners won 13-3 at UTSA and won again, 7-4, at UIW.

Last season, the Cardinals claimed an 8-5 victory at Roadrunner Field.

UTSA wins in extra innings to secure a series victory over American power East Carolina

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The Roadrunners begin to celebrate after their 20th win of the season, an extra-innings battle against East Carolina. The Pirates have played in the past seven NCAA tournaments and nine of the last 10 under Coach Cliff Godwin. – Photo courtesy of UTSA athletics

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

After Caden Miller’s game-winning hit in the bottom of the 10th inning on Sunday afternoon, the UTSA Roadrunners stormed out of the dugout at Roadrunner Field, hoping to mob him in celebration.

They did, eventually, catch up to him, and they did, naturally, jump up and down with him to celebrate both an 8-7 victory and a series win against the East Carolina Pirates.

But, not before Miller ran fairly deep into the outfield and led his teammates on a merry chase.

Pat Hallmark. UTSA beat East Carolina 6-1 in American Conference baseball on Saturday, March 28, 2026, at Roadrunner Field. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Pat Hallmark’s Roadrunners improved to 20-8 on the season and to 4-2 in the American. They’re tied atop the conference standings with the Wichita State Shockers and the UAB Blazers. – File photo by Joe Alexander

“Huge moment, right?” Miller said, smiling. “Walk off against the Pirates? At home. To win the series? On a Sunday? I mean, it was a hard-fought game.”

That, it was.

The Roadrunners surged into an early five-run lead, only to allow the Pirates to charge from behind and take a 7-5 advantage into the ninth.

But after that, UTSA dug in and rallied.

They produced two runs in the ninth on a Lane Haworth two-run single before tacking on the game-winner in the 10th for their 20th win of the season.

“I’m pleased,” Roadrunners coach Pat Hallmark said. “I’m pleased we won. I don’t know that we deserved to win. And I mean that with all sincerity.

“I hope no one takes that the wrong way. Players, or fans, or coaches.

“I just wish we could play cleaner baseball. Three hit by pitch, a walk and two errors in that one inning, as a coach, you just can’t feel good about it.”

In his lamentations, Hallmark was referring to the seventh inning, when his pitching and defense came unglued and East Carolina roared from behind to tie the game, 5-5.

But even after East Carolina piled on with a few more runs to take the two-run lead, UTSA players found a way to get it done.

“We’re tough,” Hallmark said. “We’ve got tough people. We are mentally tough. So is East Carolina.

“(Pirates coach) Cliff Godwin and (assistant) Jeff Palumbo, they’ve been together a long time. Cliff didn’t want to hear it after the game.

“I’m sure he’s frustrated. But, I got a lot of respect for them. Because, they’re similar to us in their competitiveness. They don’t go away.”

Hallmark said he loves playing against them for that reason.

“Because they make you better,” he said of the Pirates, a program with 34 NCAA tournament appearances in the record book. “They make you a better coach. They make you a better player.”

Caden Miller had three hits on Friday. UTSA beat South Dakota State 17-4 in the Roadrunners' 2026 baseball season opener on Friday, Feb. 13, at Roadrunner Field. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Caden Miller, shown here in a game from earlier this season, has helped carry the UTSA offense this year. He’s batting .386, with a .538 on base percentage and a .636 slugging percentage. – File photo by Joe Alexander

The weekend showdown between the American Conference’s two NCAA tournament programs from last season started when East Carolina won on Friday night, 3-0.

After Pirates pro prospect Ethan Norby struck out 12 in seven innings in the opener, the Roadrunners bounced back behind pitcher Conor Myles and slugger Drew Detlefsen to take a 6-1 decision on Saturday afternoon.

On Sunday, despite the seventh-inning meltdown in pitching and defense, the Roadrunners won again to claim their 13th straight regular-season series victory in the American Conference.

By taking two of three this weekend, UTSA secured a series win over East Carolina, the American’s perennial powerhouse, for a third straight season.

“I’d say in the two and a half years … actually the last four and a half years, we’ve been a pretty good program,” UTSA coach Pat Hallmark said. “We weren’t in their league prior to that.”

Miller came to the plate in the 10th with the bases loaded against Alex Bouche after reliever Joseph Webb had run out of gas, issuing three walks.

UTSA’s second-leading hitter at .386, Miller slapped the first pitch he saw through the infield.

“I just treated it like any other at bat,” Miller said. “Obviously it’s a big moment. At the same time, it’s go up there, be relaxed. Be loose and just trust my craft.”

With a run in the second inning, two in the fourth and two more in the fifth via a two-run Jacob Silva home run, the Roadrunners jumped out to a a 5-0 lead in front of a sun-splashed home crowd of 992.

The Pirates scored five in the bottom of the seventh to tie it and then tacked on single runs in the eighth and ninth for a 7-5 advantage.

In the bottom of the ninth, Lane Haworth’s two-run single tied the game.

After UTSA newcomer and redshirt junior Cody DeMont retired three straight Pirates in the top of the 10th, UTSA came to bat facing Webb.

Christian Hallmark led off with a walk and Diego Diaz laid down a bunt, sacrificing him to second. With one out, Webb lost his command and walked Josh Arquette and Jordan Ballin.

Relief pitcher Cody DeMont. UTSA beat A&M-Corpus Christi 3-1 on Tuesday, March 24, 2026, in non-conference baseball at Roadrunner Field. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Cody DeMont pitched one and a third innings at the end to earn his first win in NCAA Division I. DeMont, shown here in an earlier game, is a redshirt junior from Cisco Junior College and San Antonio area Steele High School. – File photo by Joe Alexander.

At that point, East Carolina pulled him and replaced him with Bouche, who had thrown 26 pitches in two innings of relief on Saturday.

Bouche, a senior, was tagged with the loss and fell to 0-1. DeMont, making only his third appearance of the season, improved to 1-0 with his first victory in NCAA Division I.

He worked one and one-third innings scoreless, giving up no hits, while walking one and striking out none.

“The feeling is unreal, honestly,” said DeMont, a Steele High School graduate. “I’m at a loss for words.

“I always keep my head ready, keep my focus … just making sure that if my number is called, to (get) out there and do my job.

“I know that any opportunity could be my opportunity. Just always being able to make the most of ’em whenever I can.”

Records

East Carolina 16-12-1, 3-3
UTSA 20-8, 4-2

Coming up

UTSA at Incarnate Word, Tuesday, 2 p.m.
UTSA at Rice, Thursday, 6:30 p.m.
UTSA at Rice, Friday, 6:30 p.m.
UTSA at Rice, Saturday, 1 p.m.


-Video courtesy of UTSA

UTSA, East Carolina all tied up heading into Sunday’s Game 3

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UTSA starting pitcher Conor Myles. UTSA beat East Carolina 6-1 in American Conference baseball on Saturday, March 28, 2026, at Roadrunner Field. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA starting pitcher Conor Myles worked into the sixth inning Saturday as UTSA beat East Carolina 6-1 at Roadrunner Field. – Photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The American Conference showdown is all tied up.

UTSA evened the three-game weekend series at one win apiece Saturday with a 6-1 victory over East Carolina before 1,174 fans at Roadrunner Field.

The rubber match is scheduled Sunday at 1 p.m.

Drew Detlefsen doubled, homered and scored twice to back the pitching of starter Conor Myles and reliever Sam Simmons.

Myles pitched five innings and earned the win, improving to 3-1, while Simmons worked the last four and notched his third save.

East Carolina starter Ryan Towers, who didn’t make it out of a wild first inning, took the loss and fell to 2-1.

Towers gave up five runs, four of them earned, on five hits. He was replaced without recording an out.

Records

East Carolina 16-11-1, 3-2
UTSA 19-8, 3-2

Coming up

East Carolina at UTSA, Sunday, 1 p.m.
UTSA at Incarnate Word, Tuesday, 2 p.m.
UTSA at Rice, Thursday, 6:30 p.m.
UTSA at Rice, Saturday, 6:30 p.m.
UTSA at Rice, Sunday, 1 p.m.

A turning point

The game turned on events in the first inning. After Myles yielded a couple of hits and then worked his way out of a jam with a runner at third base, the Roadrunners exploded for five runs on five hits and a couple of costly errors in the bottom half.

Drew Detlefsen had a hit and scored a run in the Roadrunners' five-run first inning. UTSA beat East Carolina 6-1 in American Conference baseball on Saturday, March 28, 2026, at Roadrunner Field. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Drew Detlefsen churns around third base, headed for home, on a throwing error by East Carolina shortstop Nick Parham in the first inning. – Photo by Joe Alexander

On the first pitch to the Roadrunners, Caden Miller swatted it up the middle for a single. With Drew Detlefsen at the plate, more good things started to happen for UTSA.

Detlefsen smoked a drive to the base of the left field wall. Braden Burress played it off the carom and fired to the cutoff man, shortstop Nick Parham. As Parham wheeled around, Miller was sliding into third, so he looked at second and cocked his throwing arm in hopes that he might have a play on Detlefsen.

As it turned out, Parham didn’t have a play, but in trying to hold onto the ball, it slipped out out of his hand. The arm motion subsequently sent it bounding across the outfield with nobody in position to pick it up.

As a result, UTSA fans started to cheer and Miller scored easily, with Detlefsen coming all the way around to cross home plate on what evolved into a two-base throwing error and a 2-0 lead for the Roadrunners.

Drew Detlefsen had a hit and scored a run in the Roadrunners' five-run first inning. UTSA beat East Carolina 6-1 in American Conference baseball on Saturday, March 28, 2026, at Roadrunner Field. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Drew Detlefsen enjoys the moment after lining a ball off the left field wall and then scoring on a two-base throwing error by the Pirates’ shortstop. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Christian Hallmark’s impact

UTSA outfielder Christian Hallmark has played a major role in the Roadrunners’ fast start to the season.

A sophomore junior college transfer and the son of the head coach, Hallmark’s slash line (batting average/on-base percentage/slugging percentage) is a good one — .325/.441/.519.

But, it doesn’t tell the whole story. Hallmark’s speed on the bases can cause heartburn in the visitors’ dugout. Case in point, the first inning of Saturday’s game.

With UTSA leading 3-0, Hallmark stepped to the plate as the first batter to face East Carolina relief pitcher Gavin Marley. On base for the Roadrunners were Andrew Stucky at second and Garrett Gruell at first.

Hallmark chopped a ground ball to the right side, fielded by East Carolina first baseman Austin Irby. Irby pivoted and threw to second to get a force play out on Gruell. But with Hallmark running hard, Pirates shortstop Nick Parham threw wildly to first.

Christian Hallmark. UTSA beat East Carolina 6-1 in American Conference baseball on Saturday, March 28, 2026, at Roadrunner Field. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Christian Hallmark knows he is safe at home after scoring from third on a sacrifice fly in the first inning. – Photo by Joe Alexander. – Photo by Joe Alexander

As the ball skipped off to the side of the playing field, Stucky came around to score to make it 4-0, and Hallmark turned on the jets and made it all the way to second.

With Josh Arquette at bat for the Roadrunners, UTSA took a chance, with Hallmark accelerating and trying to steal third. He made it. With a perfect slide to the outside of the bag, he beat the throw. East Carolina appealed the call, but umpires confirmed it on review.

Now standing on third, Hallmark made a nuisance of himself once again. As Arquette lifted a fly ball into shallow center, East Carolina freshman center fielder Grady Lenahan ran in to make the catch, only to realize that Hallmark was tagging up and trying to score.

Score, he did. The UTSA speedster arrived just before the throw, sliding in for the Roadrunners’ fifth run of the inning as the fans who had suffered through a 3-0 loss on Friday night celebrated a 5-0 lead.

Christian Hallmark scores in the first inning. UTSA beat East Carolina 6-1 in American Conference baseball on Saturday, March 28, 2026, at Roadrunner Field. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Christian Hallmark scores in the first inning on a slide past East Carolina catcher Walker Barron. – Photo by Joe Alexander